


Grilled

by Dreamin



Series: Fireworks [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Prompt Fill, ShieldShock - Freeform, mention of masturbation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-14 03:30:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14761763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamin/pseuds/Dreamin
Summary: It's Steve's birthday and he finally knows exactly what he wants.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [afteriwake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/gifts).



> This was inspired by a prompt from afteriwake. It's also the companion fic to _All Wet_ , which I suggest you read first.

“You don’t have to do this, Tony,” Steve Rogers declared in the middle of Tony Stark’s lab one late June morning. “I mean you **really** don’t have to do this.”

His teammate and (if Steve were being honest) one of his closest friends waved a hand in dismissal. “There aren’t too many centenarians who can stay awake during their entire birthday party. Although … you’ll probably barely make it.” He went back to dictating the invite to Friday then finally turned to Steve, smirking. “Besides, I happen to know Lewis will definitely go, she asked if we’re having a party.”

Steve narrowed his eyes at the multi-hyphenate man in front of him but Tony shrugged it off and started working on his next suit design. Leaving Tony to his toys, Steve left for the gym.

Three punching bags in, he was feeling no better about the situation. _I’d rather just hang out, maybe go to a ball game with the team._ He smiled at the thought of the ever-expanding Avengers roster sitting in the stands at a stadium and having to explain baseball to half of them. _A pool party with everybody and their “significant others?”_ He rolled his eyes. _I’ve been out of the ice for years now. I’d say I’ve acclimated a lot to the 21 st Century but I’ll be damned if I ever call the woman I love my “significant other.” _

An image of Darcy flashed in his mind and he couldn’t help smiling. _Yeah, fine, I’ll admit it, I’m in love with one of my best friends._

_Not that I’d ever tell her._

He thought back to when they met.

* * *

When Thor said his girlfriend and her assistant were moving into Avengers Tower, Steve at first didn’t think much of it. Everyone was welcome as far as he was concerned. Then came the day he finally met Darcy Lewis.

The petite brunette with the curvy figure caught his eye immediately, but it was her sass that really drew him in. Tony and Pepper gave Jane and Darcy fully-furnished apartments in the tower and Steve was more than happy to help her move in.

The next afternoon, Darcy showed up at his front door with a plate of brownies, beaming. “Hi! I just broke in my new kitchen and I decided you should reap the benefits.”

Steve couldn’t help returning her smile. “Hi, Darcy.” He stood aside to let her in. “I didn’t know you baked.”

“My grandmother taught me when I was a kid,” she said as she walked into the foyer. “There wasn’t enough space in the trailer to make anything bigger than a single cupcake, so I’m glad I get to do some hardcore baking here.” Her smile turned devious. “Fair warning – I’m not above using baked goods to get what I want.”

He chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He led the way to his own kitchen then poured them each a glass of milk.

Instead of holding up her glass of milk, Darcy held up a brownie. “To new beginnings.”

Steve picked up a brownie then tapped hers with it. “To new beginnings.” He took one bite and had to hold back a moan. It was the fudgiest, chocolatiest brownie he’d ever had. Steve took another bite and didn’t bother holding back his moan this time, though he could feel his cheeks flaming as Darcy grinned impishly at him.

“Did I mention these are my Better Than Sex brownies?” she asked, feigning innocence.

Steve nearly choked on his milk. “Um, no, you didn’t.”

“I only make them when I’m single since one of my exes actually called them ‘the competition.’” She lowered her voice to murmur conspiratorially, “To be honest, there was no competition – the brownies were better.”

This time he did choke on his milk. “Right,” he muttered once he had finished coughing. “I, um, can see why he’s an ex.”

Darcy grinned. “Being bad in bed isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but being bad in bed and not seeing there’s room for improvement? Out you go.” She took another bite of her brownie then she winced and looked at him apologetically. “Oh God, I’m making you really uncomfortable, right? I keep forgetting you’re from the ‘40s. The last thing you want to hear about is my sex life.”

“Um, yeah.” _Admit it, Steve,_ a voice in his head that sounded a lot like Bucky said, _you want to make her forget all about the brownies._ His face flamed and he cursed his fair skin.

“Oh wow, you’re blushing... I didn’t know guys could do that. Um, anyway, moving on. Do you know a place around here where I can get a decent burger?”

Steve grinned, happy to be on more familiar territory. “Why don’t I show you around? I know all the best places in New York.”

“It’s a date,” Darcy said, smiling happily.

That threw Steve for the moment then he realized she was kidding and he couldn’t help feeling disappointed. _Maybe next time._

A week later, he was on the treadmill in the tower’s gym when his phone chirped. He smiled when he saw the text was from Darcy.

**These white walls are driving me batshit crazy. Oh, sorry, pardon my French.**

He chuckled as he typed his response. **I can help you paint them, if you want.**

**Would you? *puppy dog eyes* I’d owe you cookies until the end of time.**

**I’d settle for dinner.**

**It’s a date!**

He wanted to reply _I wish you meant that_ , but he settled for **When?**

**6 tonight, if you’re free.**

**Sure.**

**I’ll get the paint & dinner. Just bring those long arms of yours, Rogers. ;)**

_It’s just an emoticon,_ Steve thought, annoyed. _Why am I blushing?_ **See you tonight.**

Wearing his most beat-up pair of jeans and a t-shirt that had seen better days, Steve knocked on Darcy’s door that night promptly at 6. When the door opened, the first thing he saw were a pair of bare and curvy legs in a pair of very short shorts. He’d always been a leg man and this was the nicest pair he’d seen this century.

Darcy giggled and he met her eyes, feeling his cheeks burn. “Um, sorry.”

“I don’t mind, honestly,” she said, grinning, as she let him in. “I’m used to guys staring at my chest, so somebody staring at a different body part is a nice change.”

“It’s not that I don’t respect you,” he started to say.

“Steve, it’s fine,” she assured him. “I’ve had guys not being able to keep eye contact when they talk to me since I hit puberty. You’re not carrying on entire conversations with my boobs, so you’re definitely a better class of guy, but I knew that already.”

She led him into the bedroom and Steve’s eyes fell to the king-size bed. _She certainly likes a lot of space._ Darcy had traded the neutral-toned bedding for a dark purple duvet and a matching mountain of pillows. He wanted nothing more than to lie down on the bed, preferably with Darcy next to him.

She cleared her throat and he gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry. Are we painting the whole apartment?”

“Just in here for now. I can’t relax with these bare white walls staring at me.”

He smiled a bit. “You could always hang something up.”

“Uh, no. Let’s just say my walls tend to take a pounding. I learned the hard way not to hang anything up unless it’s **really** secure.”

Steve gaped at her but she was too busy lining the floor at the bottom of each wall with newspapers to notice. _Did she really just admit that she likes sex against the wall_? His mind filled with a fantasy that was entirely inappropriate to have about one’s friend.

“Can you give me a hand with this?” she asked as she held up a clear plastic drape. “I don’t want to get any paint on the bed.”

“Right.” He helped her spread it over the headboard, wishing they were working on any other room.

When all the surfaces within range were protected, Darcy handed him a paint roller then he watched as she knelt on the floor and removed the lid from the first can of paint. Steve didn’t know what color he was expecting, but a pale, soft yellow wasn’t it.

Darcy looked up at him and grinned. “For once, I wanted everything in my room to actually go together. Jonquil is a contrasting color to amethyst, according to a color wheel I found online, and I thought it would make the room kinda cheerful.”

“It will,” he agreed.

It didn’t take long for them to work out a plan to divide and conquer – Steve took the top half of the wall and Darcy took the bottom half. By the time they had painted all four walls with two coats, Steve felt fine but he could see Darcy was exhausted. There was a spot of paint on her nose and he thought it made her look even more adorable.

“Darcy?” When she looked at him, he rubbed his nose. “You have some paint on your nose.”

“Thanks.” She wiped it off then mock glared at him. “I’m drenched and you didn’t even break a sweat.”

He smiled apologetically. “It takes a lot for me to work up a sweat.”

“Apparently.” She turned to start cleaning up the newspapers and he heard her mutter, “I’d love to be the one to do it.”

 _I’ll be a gentleman and pretend I didn’t hear that. She probably didn’t mean it anyway._ He helped her with the mess then he followed her back to the kitchen.

“So, what are you in the mood for?” Darcy asked as she pulled take-out menus off the refrigerator. “Chinese? Indian? Thai?”

“Chinese. There’s a new place near here. I haven’t heard anything about them yet.”

She smiled a bit. “I’ve always been a bit of a gambler. What’s your usual?”

“General Tso’s Chicken and white rice. Yours?”

“Sweet-and-sour chicken and fried rice. Oh, and egg rolls, crab rangoon, and fried won ton.”

Steve nodded. “I’ll get dinner, that’ll give you enough time to take a shower.”

“Steve, dinner’s supposed to be on me so I can thank you.”

He grinned. “Tell you what – I’ll get dinner, you can take care of dessert.”

She considered him a moment then nodded. “Okay, you’re on.”

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Okay. If I’m still in the bathroom, Friday can let you in.”

“Sure.” He tried very hard not to think about Darcy in the shower the entire walk to the restaurant and the entire walk back. He failed spectacularly.

When he got up to Darcy’s floor, Friday let him into her apartment. He was just getting the food onto plates when Darcy came into the kitchen wearing striped cotton pajamas, her damp hair hanging down her back. The shower had made her cheeks flush and for a moment, all he wanted to do was kiss her.

Her loudly rumbling stomach stopped that moment dead in its tracks. She grinned at him apologetically. “Sorry. So, where do you want to eat this?”

“Where do you usually eat dinner?”

“Honestly? On the couch while I watch _The Great British Baking Show_ on Netflix. We can watch a movie if you want. I hear you have a list?”

Steve chuckled. “Yeah, an ongoing list of things I missed. Do you have…” he pulled the list out of his back pocket then glanced at it, “ _Jurassic Park I, II, III,_ and _Jurassic World_?”

“Yeah, but just for the sake of completion. Honestly, you can skip _II_ and _III_ , they don’t hold a candle to the first one and _Jurassic World_.”

“I think I’ll judge that for myself, if that’s alright.”

Darcy smirked. “Suit yourself. We don’t have time to watch all four tonight, but you can come over anytime to watch the rest.”

“Sure.”

They settled down in the living room with their plates on trays. It didn’t take long for it to be clear to Steve that while the movie and the company were top-notch, the food definitely wasn’t.

“Ugh,” Darcy groaned. “Does your stuff taste like ass too?” She glanced at him. “Um, sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m the one who should apologize for even suggesting that place.” He paused the movie then got up and took his tray and hers to kitchen.

She followed him and watched as he scraped the food into the garbage can. “If you don’t mind waiting, I have a couple of steaks I can cook.”

“That would be great.”

They ate their steaks as they watched the rest of the movie, though Steve spent more time with his eyes on Darcy than on the screen. _What is it about this girl? Yeah, she looks like a pin up but it’s not just that. She’s sweet and fun and wow, can she bake. What’s stopping me from asking her out?_ The Bucky voice in his head replied _, You’re worried she’ll say no and you don’t want to mess up a friendship that’s just starting._ Knowing the voice was right, he reluctantly turned his attention back to the screen.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning of his 100th birthday, the first thing Steve saw when he walked into his kitchen convinced him that he should have stayed in bed. Instead of the dark blue swim trunks he’d left folded on the kitchen table, there was now an American flag-printed speedo.

_Bucky, Sam, or Tony?_ _Only one way to find out._ “Good morning, Friday.”

“Good morning, Capt. Rogers.”

“Can you tell me who left this here, please?”

“I’m afraid I’m not allowed to answer that.”

_Had to be Tony._ Steve smirked. “You just did.”

“You’re very perceptive, Captain.”

“Thanks.” Warily, he picked the thing up then saw there was a note beneath it.

**Not too many centenarians look good in one of these.**

**Not that you will, though Lewis may think differently.**

**Tony**

**P.S. Don’t kill me now, you’ll thank me later.**

Shaking his head in disbelief, Steve decided it was time to set the other man straight. “Friday? Where’s Tony?”

“I’m not allowed to answer that either.”

“Right,” he muttered. “Tell Tony that his prank is not appreciated.”

“I will, Captain. And may I add, Happy Birthday.”

Steve smiled a bit. “Thanks, Friday.”

“You’re welcome.”

* * *

Immensely grateful that none of his teammates had x-ray vision, Steve walked onto the tower rooftop in a pair of shorts over the speedo and a t-shirt with his shield printed on it (a gift from Tony on a previous birthday). It was half an hour before the party was to officially start and the roof was already full of guests.

Steve saw Sam waving at him from the grill, but it took him a good fifteen minutes to get to him, what with so many friends coming up to him every foot or so to wish him a happy birthday. He was glad to see them, truly, but he couldn’t help looking for one particular face.

Sam, of course, noticed. “She’s not here yet.”

“She who?” Steve asked, feigning ignorance.

“The girl you’ve been crazy about since you met,” Sam said, smirking. “The girl whose apartment you’re practically living in.”

Steve took the time to grab a beer from the nearby cooler before answering but it still wasn’t enough to get the flush to leave his face. “Darcy and I are just friends.”

“Only because you’re too chicken to ask her out.” Sam flipped a just-done hamburger in the air, where it was caught by a familiar metal hand.

“I’d ask who you were talking about,” Bucky said as he put the hamburger in a bun, “but I already know.” He took a bite. “Not bad, Wilson.”

Sam grinned. “Thanks, but that was for Steve.”

“Steve prefers cheeseburgers.” Bucky turned to Steve, smirking. “I’ve seen you face down dozens of Hydra goons, yet a five-foot-nothing girl with big blue eyes has you scared shitless?”

“Five-foot-four and a half,” Steve muttered.

Bucky shook his head sadly. “You just want to be miserable the rest of your life, don’t you?” He saw Shuri motioning to him from the other side of the pool and grinned. “Gotta go, Q needs me.”

Sam smirked when Bucky was out of earshot. “He really loves the Bond movies, doesn’t he?”

“I’m not miserable,” Steve protested. “I’m perfectly content being friends with Darcy.”

“Content isn’t the same as happy. Just ask her out, man. If she says yes, you can finally start resolving that UST you two have been building. If she says no, you’re still friends.”

Exaggeratedly rolling his eyes, Steve pulled his little notebook and pencil out of the pocket of his shorts. _I feel like Patrick in_ Auntie Mame _every time I do this but it’s still necessary._ Darcy had suggested the movie to him and Steve related to the young boy who was completely out of his element. “UST?” he asked as he wrote the letters down.

Sam grinned. “Unresolved Sexual Tension.”

“Not funny,” Steve muttered as he crossed out the term then put the notebook and pencil away.

“Very funny,” Sam countered. He looked over Steve’s shoulder and smirked again.

Steve was about to turn around and see what Sam was grinning at when he heard Darcy’s voice.

“Hi, guys,” she said cheerfully.

He turned to face her and felt his heart skip a beat. _She looks great, though maybe a little overdressed for the heat._ His hands itched to remove the clip from Darcy’s hair then run his fingers through it.

After enduring more teasing from Sam and a little teasing from Darcy, something he took with a lot more grace, Steve led her over to the refreshment table. He felt like a jerk when he realized he was checking out her butt as she bent over to reach something on the far side of the table. _You’re supposed to be a gentleman, Rogers._

“Did you bring your suit?” he asked as he gave her the bottle of Coke she asked for.

“Don’t have one.” Darcy indicated her curves. “It’s impossible to find a one-piece that covers me enough or a bikini top that’s supportive enough.”

An image came to mind of her in just bikini bottoms and his face suddenly felt red-hot. “Um, right. So, no pool for you?”

“You got it, Big Guy.”

_Good, then I don’t have to get in either which means there’s no chance of her seeing me in this damn speedo_. Still, the mental image remained and consequentially, so did his blush. Quickly filling a plate for himself, Steve led Darcy to an empty table a little away from the others. While they were eating, no one approached them, but every time he opened his mouth to talk to her, someone would come over and wish him a happy birthday. It took every ounce of patience he had to keep a smile on his face and say “thank you” over and over when all he wanted to do was have a simple conversation with Darcy.

“Hey, Stevie,” Bucky said as he and Sam approached them, “we need you to settle an argument. I say Army is better, Sam says the Air Force is better. What do you think?”

Steve rolled his eyes. _I’d think you were drunk if you weren’t a supersoldier._ “Army, obviously.”

Bucky grinned then turned to Sam. “Told you so.” They walked away, still arguing over which branch was best.

Darcy giggled. “Blowing off steam?”

“They must be.” He was about to say something else when Vision and Wanda came over.

It went on like that for what felt like forever. While he couldn’t be too annoyed with people wishing him a happy birthday, Bucky and Sam’s repeated interruptions got old fast.

Steve looked over and saw them grinning at him from across the pool. He shot them a glare then turned to Darcy as he stood up. “Excuse me, Darcy. I need to set the record straight.”

“Um, sure.”

He gave her a grateful smile. _She’s probably wondering what the hell has gotten into them_ , he thought as he walked over to his friends. “Do you mind?” he asked irritably as soon as he reached them.

“We’re helping you,” Bucky said, grinning.

“How?”

“We’re keeping you from getting too comfortable,” Sam said, smirking. “We can’t have you taking time with Darcy for granted.”

Steve groaned quietly. “If I swear I’ll never take anything about Darcy for granted, will you let me have more than two minutes with her?”

Bucky smirked. “Are you sure you need more than two minutes?”

Steve ignored Sam’s snickering and turned to walk away, only to see Nat sitting in his chair and talking to Darcy. _This can’t be good._ “What’s Nat doing?”

“Interrogating?” Bucky suggested, feigning innocence. “She probably wants to make sure Darcy’s good enough for you.”

_Of course she is,_ Steve thought, scowling, as he walked back to their table. _Darcy’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me._ She stood up and he noticed she was flushed. _Nat’s probably embarrassing her._ Just as he reached their table, Darcy ran past him and jumped fully-clothed into the pool.

“Was it something I said?” Nat asked, smiling a bit.

Steve glared at her. “What did you say to her, Romanov?”

“I simply asked if there was something wrong with the two of you dating.”

He shut his eyes and counted to ten. When he opened them, Nat was smirking at him.

“Why don’t you join her?” she asked. “I hear Tony got you a new swimsuit.”

“Don’t start, Nat,” he muttered.

When Darcy climbed out of the pool, his eyes were drawn to her chest, despite his best efforts to be a gentleman. The tanktop clung to her skin, nearly transparent, her hardened nipples showed clearly through it and her bra, and Steve wished even more urgently that Tony had left his swim trunks alone.

Either Nat was a mindreader or his thoughts were showing loud and clear on his face. “Darcy didn’t bring anything with her,” she murmured. “Go get her a towel or something,” she added when he didn’t move.

“Right,” he murmured then left the rooftop as fast as he could without drawing even more attention to himself. He thought about going down to her apartment since Friday would let him in but dismissed that thought when he realized just how uncomfortable the speedo was.

As soon as Steve walked into his apartment, he locked the door behind him. Everyone was on the roof but he was taking no chances.

By the time he made it back to the roof, darkness was falling and the wind was picking up. He found Darcy at their table, looking miserable. He knew that if his heart weren’t already hers, he would have lost it at that moment. He set the clothes he’d grabbed in front of her and grinned when she looked up at him.

“Can’t have you miserable at my party. Go change in the penthouse, the fireworks are about to start.”

Relief filled her face. “Thanks!” She got up then picked up the clothes, frowning in confusion. “Steve?”

_I definitely can’t tell her the truth – “Yeah, I could’ve gotten some of your clothes but I really needed to jerk off before I saw you again so I didn’t have time.” She’d think I was a pervert or something._ “My place was closer. They’ll fit.” Once more, his eyes were drawn to her chest and he felt himself blush. _Stay calm, Rogers. You don’t want to have to excuse yourself again._ “Probably.”

“Um, right.” She picked up the clothes and headed for the penthouse.

Nat came up to him. “You really are an idiot, you know.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know, Nat.”

“She’s in love with you.”

He stared at her. “I … um, didn’t mean that literally. Are you sure?”

Nat smirked. “If she’s not, she’s managed to fool me, Sam, and Bucky. I don’t think Darcy’s that good of an actress, do you?”

“If she loves me, why hasn’t she said anything?”

“The same reason you haven’t – she’s scared of messing up what you already have and she thinks you only see her as a friend. You’re one of the smartest men I know so act like it. Go over there and tell her the truth before I kick your ass, Rogers.”

He grinned at her. “Yes, ma’am.”

Tony stopped the music and started his little speech but Steve didn’t hear a word, his entire focus was on getting to Darcy. Deciding that it was time for actions first, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, reveling in how well they fit together even as he felt her jump.

“Easy,” he murmured.

She looked up at him, her eyes huge. “Steve, what-”

“My friends pointed out that while I’m great at battlefield strategizing, I’m terrible at something as simple as telling the woman I’m in love with how I feel.”

She turned in his arms to gape at him. “You … you love me?”

“Completely, utterly, stupidly … I could go on.” He knew he was grinning like a love-struck idiot but he didn’t care. “And, unless those same friends are wrong, you feel the same way.”

Darcy grinned happily. “They’re not wrong.”

He bent his head to kiss her, feeling like everything was finally right in his world.

* * *

He woke up the next morning to cookie crumbs in his bed and his newly-minted girlfriend asleep next to him. Her birthday gift had been well-received but as he smiled down at her, he could only think one thing. _You’re the best gift of all._


End file.
